Taha Mandviwala, Anna Leigh Gortner, Shiloh Goodin, and Toussaint Jeanlouis (Photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade 2024)
Reviewed by G. Bruce Smith
Ahmanson Theatre
Through June 1
RECOMMENDED
Some years back I went to my public library and stumbled onto a wonderful book, Life of Pi. I was enamored with Yann Martel’s riveting yarn of a 17-year-old Indian boy adrift on a lifeboat he shares with a Bengal tiger in the Pacific Ocean. Later, I was keen to see the film version, and the screen adaptation did not disappoint.
And then I learned that it was turned into a play (adaptation by Lolita Chakrabarti) and I was intrigued: how were the creators going to bring this tale to life on stage? The answer —by creating technical magic and dazzling puppetry that highlights a tale of adventure and spiritual quest.
Tony Award-winner Life of Pi, a touring production at the Ahmanson, is told through flashbacks, beginning with the teenager, Pi (Taha Mandviwala), in a Mexican hospital after being washed ashore on the verge of death. Mr. Okamoto (Alan Ariano) is an investigator who questions how Pi survived 227 days at sea on a lifeboat — with, supposedly, a tiger.
We find out that Piscine Molitor “Pi” Patel, from Pondicherry, has explored issues of spirituality and metaphysics from an early age, turning to a Catholic father, an imam and a Hindu priest for guidance, much to the (humorously portrayed) consternation of his parents.
Pi is an energetic and likable teenager, with an infectious curiosity. He and his family — zookeeper Father (Sorab Wadia), Amma, his mother (Jessica Angleskhan) and sister Rani (Sharayu Mahale) — live happily together. That is, until Pondicherry experiences unrest that turns into violence. Pi’s parents decide the family must flee India with their animals and find a Canadian zoo willing to take them in.
They board a freighter with their beasts — including a ferocious Bengal tiger named Richard Parker — but soon are caught in a terrible storm that sinks the vessel. Pi makes it to a lifeboat, as do several other animals, including Richard Parker.
What happens from there is not only a tale of survival on a small lifeboat with a dangerous beast — it is also about the relativity of truth.
The cast is strong, particularly Mandviwala as Pi, whose charming and energetic performance is highly physical. Director Max Webster’s dynamic staging brings together the disparate elements of the spectacle in captivating ways.
But it is the technical artists and puppeteers that are the stars of the show. The scenic (and costume) design of Tim Hatley — whose sets ranging from a zoo to a lifeboat to a hospital room effortlessly segue into each other — is masterful. So is the lighting design by Tim Lutkin and Tim Deiling that is used to evoke, among other things, rain and ocean water and swimming fish. Carolyn Downing has come up with a sound design that underlines the action effectively, particularly the storm scene.
Nick Barnes and Finn Caldwell (who is also puppetry and movement director) have created beautiful animals — including a zebra, goat and orangutan — that are brought to life so authentically by the skilled puppeteers that you almost believe they are real.
Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles. Tuesday-Friday, 8 pm; Saturday, 2 pm and 8 pm; Sunday, 1 pm and 6:30 pm; Added performance Thursday, May 29, 2 pm; No performance Wednesday, May 14. centertheatregroup.org. Running time, Two hours, 15 minutes including intermission.
Life of Pi will be performed June 3-15 at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Orange County.
